


Aziraphale, the Angel Who Fell Halfway

by rocketshoes



Category: Good Omens (TV)
Genre: Canon Compliant, Crowley is in love, Ineffable Husbands (Good Omens), M/M, Post-Canon, comma heavy, just a warning, obviously so is aziraphale but that’s not really mentioned here, post-ritz
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-01
Updated: 2019-07-01
Packaged: 2020-06-02 06:54:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 918
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19436221
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rocketshoes/pseuds/rocketshoes
Summary: eleven years of Armageddon, and now Crowley and Aziraphale can have some peace once again. after the Ritz, Crowley reminisces about the six thousand years he’s spent loving an angel.





	Aziraphale, the Angel Who Fell Halfway

funny, Crowley thought, as he followed Aziraphale from the Ritz back to the bookshop for the obligatory wine drinking, how no matter what nearly-world-ending events may occur, or how many times a relationship nearly ends, some things never change. he and Aziraphale had shared lunch too many times to count over their six-thousand-year friendship, and they’d followed that up with wine at the angel’s bookshop every time since he opened it. 

the tradition had become mundane, predictable and unexciting, but although it went against everything Crowley had been taught in the pits of hell, that was his favorite thing about it. very little of his life as a demon was routine, and he had grown to find comfort in the pieces that were. sure, like anyone else, he loved a good arson now and again, but the peace that drinking vintage wine in a quiet old bookshop brought him simply couldn’t be replicated. of course, whether it was the wine he drank or the angel he drank it with that comforted him was up for debate. 

looking back, Crowley realized his favorite memories of his time on earth contained stretches of calm more often than not. even when the world around him was in chaos, the things he now remembers with a smile are the moments on the sidelines or in-between, spent, of course, alongside Aziraphale. the periods of easy conversation and peaceful togetherness, of quiet companionship and mutual fondness. like the time the angel introduced him to oysters in Rome, or when they went to see Hamlet together amidst its miraculous success. the best example of this, however, was when they first met. 

Crowley remembered it as the first first day of the rest of his life, before the looming threat of Armageddon hung over him, and when the only Adam he had to worry about was the man leading his wife and unborn child out of the sacred garden. he had just made his first significant temptation as a demon and was waiting for the thrill Beelzebub had assured him would follow when he noticed that the pompous little angel that was guarding Eden was missing his flaming sword. 

“lost it already, have you?” Crowley had asked him. he was preparing to torment him for his carelessness, as was demon protocol, when the angel surprised him. 

“i gave it away,” he’d replied sheepishly, and all thoughts of teasing him simply vanished from Crowley’s brain. suddenly all he wanted to do was learn more about this angel who had sacrificed his only possession to help the humans. 

and the more they talked, the more clear it became that this angel was not pompous, but in fact rather awkward and bumbling and utterly ridiculous. he was good but not because he thought it made him superior, like every other angel Crowley had had the misfortune of encountering. he was good simply because he wanted to be, because he knew it made the world a better place. his was a goodness that Crowley couldn’t bring himself to despise. 

then it started raining, and the angel lifted his wing, completely unprompted, to shield Crowley from the storm, and as he shuffled closer Crowley began to understand why the human man put himself in danger to protect his wife. 

at that point, Crowley didn’t even know the angel’s name. there were a lot of things he didn’t know, in fact, for the earth had just been created and with it the opportunity to learn so much more than heaven ever wanted him to. there was one thing he was certain of, however: he loved the angel who gave away his sword. 

before long, Crowley was given a name to go with the face: Aziraphale. Aziraphale, the angel who fell halfway. 

over the years, Crowley spent a lot of his time (that wasn’t spent grabbing lunch with Aziraphale) observing the humans. he watched them laugh and cry and fight and love, and sometimes he would join in when things got exciting. 

(it was mostly the fighting he joined in on. he couldn’t bring himself to pretend to love anyone other than Aziraphale and besides, he was a demon after all. he should at least make an effort.)

after a century or two, he got really good at inconspicuously ‘running into’ Aziraphale. half the time, the Upstairs sent him right to Crowley’s general location after a particularly wily temptation, and then it was just a matter of slouching in the right place at the right time. even when he wasn’t as lucky, Crowley didn’t have too much trouble tracking him down. he may fancy himself sly, but the angel had patterns. 

Crowley found himself growing fonder after each meeting. it didn’t take him long to give up subtlety, either. Aziraphale had the power to sense virtues, love included, and Crowley figured trying to hide his affection for the angel from him was like trying to sneak Iron Man through a metal detector. 

he didn’t even care that his love might go forever unrequited. he wasn’t here to win anything. he knew he wasn’t entitled to any special affection from the angel. they had a relationship like no other, and Crowley didn’t need to know more than that. being here, being with him, that was what mattered. that was enough. 

“what’s on your mind, Crowley?” Aziraphale asked him now, pulling the demon out of his reminiscent haze. 

Crowley smiled, and his heart warmed when Aziraphale returned the gesture eagerly. “just happy we’re here, angel.”

**Author's Note:**

> don’t worry, Crowley’s love is most definitely not unrequited. they’ll figure it out eventually, if they put their two respective brain cells together
> 
> i might do a follow-up to this to show some things from Aziraphale’s perspective, thoughts on that?
> 
> pls comment any questions/critiques/criticisms/concerns thanks boo
> 
> find me on tumblr to yell about good omens and/or any of the other fandoms we may happen to have in common @hey-thats-his-cigar


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